Ann Sturgess, 72, suffered a stroke whilst driving at the beginning of the month and the mother and grandmother, from Ashurst, credits the 'amazing' care she received from the NHS with helping her with her recovery. Here she tells her story......

"The 1st of June, 2015 is a day that will be etched in my memory forever - for that's the day that my worst nightmare, and the reality of something happening that I dreaded, came true.

"My mother died from a stroke at the age of 65, and my brother was just 42 when he passed away from one, so it was always there niggling at the back of my mind.

"The day started out much like any other, and I was out driving in my car - a Mazda MX5, which I loved - when it happened.....I had a stroke and crashed into a car wash. There were no warnings and I don't really remember much about the accident, so I think I must have been unconscious, or almost unconscious, but I do remember them pulling me from the car and the paramedics saying "I think we have a stroke victim".

"I didn't have any pain and I was aware of what was going on around me, but I couldn't speak - it was horrendous. And I was very, very scared.

"But it was then that the amazing work of the NHS came into its own and I'm not sure I will ever be able to thank them enough. The swiftness, expertise, professionalism and medical skill of all of the staff that treated me until I was discharged, quite literally saved my life, from the first response paramedics to the doctors, nurses, counsellors and specialists in Southampton General Hospital and the stroke unit.

"They raised my spirits when I got down, even calling me 'sexy momma' when I was putting my bright pink lipstick on, and they made me realise that I am one of the lucky ones, as I survived.

"I loved my car and was devastated that it was written off until one of the counsellors who came to chat with me, so delicately and gently, turned my view by saying that my car loved me more as it protected me - that really worked for me.

"And through it all, the people I have come into contact with have all shown me that we have an amazing health care service and the dedication, skill, compassion and assurance that everything was under control and being done was second to none. I cannot speak highly enough of them.

"We have just gone through an election where so many rocks were thrown at what they said was a 'failing NHS'. But I didn't see or experience a failing NHS.

"What I saw was dedicated nurses and doctors, who spared nothing in giving their time and care and picking up the responsibility of helping people like myself to recover and picking up your world that has crashed after having a stroke. They help you to live again.

"The NHS is often taken for granted, and the staff there often deal with so much sadness, that must drain them emotionally and spiritually, and they are on their feet all day, which is physically exhausting, and yet they keep going regardless. They must be protected and appreciated. We owe them that.

"We don't always ask for what we get in life, sometimes it just happens and hits you out of the blue, and although it is early days for me and my life is very different now - I am a survivor, and I have the NHS to thank for that.

"My everlasting thanks, and gratitude from me and my family, goes to them and the aftercare services that I have received, and I will shout that from the rooftops!"